New Outlooks
by Lexxia
Summary: COMPLETE. Christmas is a time for family, or in Greg and Sara's case, another trip to New York to visit Greg's insane family. Sequel to Finally Something to be Thankful For. Sandle pairing.
1. Dear Mary

**_Disclaimer: _**Don't own a thing, save for the characters that I created with my own brain power.

**_Author's Note: _**Wow, I got this done sooner than expected. I was supposed to go back to my "job" today but I have a cold so I thought that typing this would at least give me something to do between coughing fits and seeing as I've watched all my ER Season 5 DVDs already. That and I'm actually not dizzy right now. I hate having a head cold. Hope you all like it!

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_Dear Mary,_

_How are you? I can't believe it's already December 14th! I can finally see what you meant when you said how times flies when you're in love. Sara and I will both be coming out for Christmas. Our flight leaves at 10 am on the 21st. Doesn't your competition end on the 20th? Maybe we can arrange it so that we fly back together?_

_A lot has happened since we came back after Thanksgiving. Sara and I are living together; and its great Mare. We're so in love that even though we see each other at work we still can't wait to be at home alone with one another every day. _

_All this still seems like a dream to me Mare. I never thought that Sara would return my love but I guess I was wrong, wasn't I? We're both so happy! Over the last few weeks I've seen Sara laugh and smile more than she has in the last few years. _

_No one at work even has any idea they we're dating; let alone living together. And trust me; we've given them enough hints. About a week ago Sara and I were in the locker room getting our stuff after assignments. We had different cases so I was giving her a goodbye kiss. Then, Nick walked in. He didn't even notice! It's insane Mare!_

_I've attached a file to this because I'd like Kate to see if she can do it. Can you please send it or give it to her? She's the best you know what that I've met so please and thanks. I'll pay her when I'm up there. _

_Anyways, I've gotta go, shift is about to start and I don't want Grissom questioning where I've been. He can get so pissy sometimes…seriously. I'll call you on Wednesday. _

_-Love Greg_

Greg sat back in his chair, skimming over the email that he had just written, checking for spelling and grammar mistakes.

"Hey Baby, what are you doing?" Sara asked quietly, coming up behind him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Writing an email to Mary so as to let her know what's been going on," Greg replied as Sara rested her chin on his shoulder. He quickly hit the send button so as to make sure Sara didn't read about the attachment.

"Did you tell her about our living arrangements?" she inquired.

"Yep. Did Grissom okay your vacation time?"

"He did. I think he was a bit suspicious though, seeing as you and I requested the same days. But, because of how much time I've got saved up he couldn't really say no, now could he?"

"Nope," Greg laughed. "I still can't believe that no one's guessed that we're together," he commented.

"I know! And they're supposed to be CSIs!" Sara giggled, moving so that she was leaning against the desk, facing him. "I hope we get to work together tonight, the last four cases have been so…lonely without you," Sara whispered, her eyes dropping to the floor.

"I know, I hope we're together tonight too Babe, but you don't have to worry; even if we do work different cases we'll still be together at home. And we have those two weeks at Mary's to look forward to." Greg assured her, taking her one hand in his.

"Guys, time for assignments!" Catherine called, walking through the room, not even noticing their close proximity. Sara bit her lip, trying to hide her smirk.

"Pretty bad CSIs, aren't they?" Greg asked in a hushed tone, shutting off the computer before he and Sara headed to the conference room for their assignments.

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"Alright. Nick, you're going solo tonight on a DB on the I-90. Catherine, Sara, Greg, you three have a 4-19 at the Tangiers. Warrick, you're with me tonight. Alright, get going," Grissom rambled, handing out the assignment sheets. Catherine shot a look towards her boss before heading for the locker room, Greg and Sara in tow.

"At least we're together tonight," Sara muttered. Greg nodded, making sure that Catherine didn't pick up on their conversation.

"You think she knows?" he asked quietly.

"No, but if you keep acting strange she may guess," Sara snickered. Greg shook his head, going to his locker to retrieve his coat and vest.

"Am I missing something?" Catherine interjected randomly. Greg and Sara stopped what they were doing and turned to her.

"Uh…no, why?" Greg said.

"I dunno, I just got the feeling that I was missing something, I probably just forgot to go grocery shopping or something, don't worry. I'll go get the car, meet me at the front entrance." The strawberry-blonde said before leaving the room.

"I think the CSI in her is starting to come out," Sara exclaimed with mock horror. Greg shook his head, placing a small kiss on her lips before heading for the door.

"You coming?" he questioned.

"You bet," Sara answered.

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"So, how's life going?" Catherine inquired as she and Sara processed the bedroom portion of the hotel room.

"Better than normal, I've _finally_ got my mind off Grissom. I have no idea what I was doing ever pining after him in the first place," Sara answered, picking up a hair and putting in into an evidence bag.

"That's great! I mean, Gil is one of my best friends and everything but he's really stupid in the love department," Catherine chuckled, snapping a few more pictures.

"Why do I always get stuck cleaning out the drains? There's some really gross stuff in here," Greg moaned from the bathroom where he was processing the bathtub.

"You're still the rookie Greggo," Catherine answered with a smirk. Sara was about to say something when her cell phone went off. Quickly she discarded her gloves into a pocket before taking out the cell phone and flipping it open, seeing that she had received a text message. Skimming over it she smiled. "Alright, lemme read that," Catherine said, walking over to stand beside Sara so that she could read the message. It said.

_Hey Sare-Bear. Hope you're having a good night at work. I'll see you later. __Love you – S.H_.

"SARA! YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THAT YOU'RE SEEING SOMEONE! Who is he? Is he cute? Do I know him? How long have you been going out? What have you done so far? He loves you? Aww that's so cute!" Catherine scrambled, making Sara laugh.

"Cath, slow down okay?" Sara muttered quickly sending a message back. She was surprised that Greg text-messaged her when he was literally only 20 feet away but she wasn't going to complain, she loved the odd little messages he sent. _'S.H. huh? Well, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, I'm just glad Cath hasn't figured your "code" out yet.' _Sara thought.

"C'mon Sara, give me a clue! Please?" Catherine continued as Sara went back to processing.

"Alright, I'll tell you one thing, but no telling Warrick or Nick. This man and I have been seeing each other for about a month. Alright, that's it. That's all you're getting out of me." Sara smiled.

"A month eh? Seems like you like this fellow." Catherine commented, scratching her nose with her wrist.

"I don't just _like_ him Cath, I love him."

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**_A/N:_** Okay, I know that was short and everything but as I said, coughing fits and such. Well, that and the first couple chapters are gonna be shorter.

Hope you all liked it. The next chapter will be up sometime in August…I think. It depends on how much stuff is going on in the next couple weeks with all my travelling.


	2. Grown Up

**_Disclaimer: _** I totally own the majority of the characters in this chapter:P Yay for me and my slight boost of originality.

**_Author's Note: _**I just wanna thank everyone who's read this so far. I'm really glad you're liking it and for the fact that you're putting up with my frantic schedule from the past month and for the upcoming couple weeks. Hope you like the chappie!

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"Mom, where's my volleyball jersey? I need it for the game today!" Clara Summerson groaned as she walked into the kitchen.

"It's in the laundry basket on your window sill. If you'd put your laundry away after school yesterday like I asked you to, you'd know that," Mary replied, pouring some orange juice into a mug and sitting down at the kitchen counter. Clara sighed, turning around and running back upstairs.

"Daddy, is it Christmas yet?" Michelle asked from the table where she was eating cereal. Kevin smiled, ruffling the girl's hair.

"No Michelle, that's still a couple weeks away. Why? Are you excited about Santa?" he questioned.

"No, I wanna see Uncle Greg and Miss Sara again," the four-year old answered.

"Hunny, you know that they haven't said they're coming for sure yet. Your Uncle Greg is supposed to – wait; there's an email from him. Just let me read it," Mary rambled, adjusting her reading glasses as she opened the message. "Well, it looks like they are coming. Good." She said.

"YAY!" Michelle squealed as she jumped up and started dancing around with her stuffed dog. Kevin smirked, rolling his eyes slightly as he sipped his coffee. Mary was intently reading the email, her eyes skimming the words before she clicked on the attachment. The minute her eyes focused on the sketch she nearly choked, spewing orange juice everywhere.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Clara inquired as she and Cody came into the room.

"Kev…oh my God….my brother wants Kate to…to make an…a…a you know what!" Mary panicked as she pointed at the screen of her lap top. Kevin raised an eyebrow before walking over and looking at the drawing. It was a ring.

Beside the picture there was a description basically stating that Greg wanted it to be white gold, a diamond in the shape of a heart at the centre and a circular ruby on each side. There was also an inscription for the inside which caused Mary to tear up.

"My baby brother's grown up," she whispered to Kevin, leaning her head on his chest. Kevin bent down, kissing the crown of her head.

"Yeah Mare, he really is. You should take this to Kate; it'll take her till the 21st to get this done. Oh yeah, you're to call Alanna. She called last night while you were teaching and asked if you'd give her a ring back. I think she's thinking of actually coming up for Christmas this year. I mean, it's her first year being married and I think she wants Mark to come see what it's like here with us. That and I know Kaliya has been bugging her to drive up here." Kevin said as he picked their youngest daughter up and placed her back on her chair.

"Oh, right, I'll call her from the car while I'm taking this to Kate," Mary responded, hitting the print button on open attachment.

"Mom! What are you talking about?" Clara urged, annoyed that her mother wasn't letting her into her mind.

"You'll find out soon enough Clara, just be patient. Cody, please eat your breakfast, I have to take you to school in a few minutes," Mary sighed, getting up to go get the paper from the printer in the office.

"Dad, c'mon, what's going on with Uncle Greg?" Clara pushed. Before Kevin could answer her the phone rang.

"Summerson house, Cody speaking," Cody said formally as he picked up the phone. "Hi Miss Sara! Um yeah, hang on a minute. MOM! Miss Sara's on the phone!" Before Cody could call a second time his mother was in the kitchen, gently taking the phone from him and walking out of the room.

"Hey Sara, what's up?" Mary asked, sitting down at the desk in her office.

"_Nothing major Mary. I just thought that I would call you to see if you can come back on the flight with Greg and me," _Sara said on the other end of the line.

"Well, my students and the other teachers come back at 11 pm on the 20th but I'm sure that I can manage to come back on the 21st with you two. I'll have to make sure that Clara can come home with a friend but everything should be fine. So, I hear you and my brother are living together. How's that going?"

"_It's fantastic. I would have never thought that I could get along this well with someone all day every day but I do. I love him Mary, and I want to spend every day with him…but I'm kinda scared." _Sara confessed.

"Scared? What for?" Mary asked, tapping a pencil on the desk.

"_Well…I don't know if he…you know, wants to take our relationship further or not. I definitely do but I don't want to seem too eager. I think that's what's scared off the other people that I've been with…I'd get too clingy and showed that I wanted more but…they didn't. I've never lived with a guy before but still…I don't know how fast I should make things go. I want this to last Mary; forever if possible…I just don't want anything to happen. I usually screw things up." _

"Oh Sara, Hunny, don't worry! Greg loves you more than anything! You're not going to scare him off. He's been in love with you since you moved to Vegas. Trust me. When I was giving birth to Michelle, he was the only one here because Kevin was working in Ottawa and the kids were with his parents in Fort Erie. Anyways, the entire time I was having her I was getting the brunt of how much he liked you and how you liked Grissom which was, in his direct words, 'Gross and icky'. So don't worry, I'm sure he wants the relationship to progress." Mary explained.

"_Thanks Mary, that makes me feel a lot better. I just don't know if it's too soon for us to have sex or anything. I was thinking that maybe-" _

"Ah! Sara, sorry Hun, but that's too much information. Greg is still my baby brother; I really don't want or need to know about his…um…sexual relationships," Mary stammered, her hazel eyes wide with fear.

"_Oh, sorry, I just got carried away. Oh, crap, anyways I've gotta go, gotta get back to work. –Yes Catherine, they're processing right now- Thanks again. Talk to you later. Bye."_ Sara said, Catherine having walked into the room.

"No problem Sara. I'll see you on the 21st. Call again if you need anything else okay? Bye." Mary smiled, hanging up. She shook her head, picking up the paper that was in the printer tray.

"Mary, you've gotta get these kids to school and daycare. I've got to go to work," Kevin said, breezing into the office, giving his wife a quick kiss and then walking back out, having retrieved his briefcase from beside the desk. Mary shook her head, going to get the kids ready.

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"Mary! What a surprise! Come in, come in. Do you want some tea? I just out a pot on the stove," Kate said, smiling as she opened the door.

"Sure, that'd be great," Mary replied, walking into her best friend's house and following the dark haired woman into the kitchen.

"So, what brings you here this morning?" Kate asked, pouring the tea into two cups before setting them on the table and seating herself across from Mary.

"Well, Greg sent me this sketch and he was wondering if you could perhaps make this for when he's up here at Christmas," Mary explained, passing the paper athwart the table. Kate's eyes grew wide as she skimmed over the paper.

"This is a…a…" the black haired woman stuttered.

"I know. I was just as shocked as you were." Mary smiled.

"Is it for the woman he had up here at Thanksgiving?" Kate queried.

"Yes, her name, as you can guess, is Sara. He really loves her, and she loves him as well." Mary confirmed.

"So…when do you need this by?"

"The 21st, if possible."

"Alright, I'll start on it today when I go to work. Do you think that, you know, she'll like it and everything?"

"No doubt about it Kate, no doubt about it."

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**_A/N:_** Sorry about the chapter being short again but I've already got the next 4 planned out in my head and everything needs to be in specific places. Hopefully this being updated before it was initially said to be will have made you all happy.

Reviewers receive cookies:)


	3. DDR

**_Disclaimer: _**Don't own anything that's on the actual CSI, if I did, hell there'd be all Sandle and no GSR. I only own my original characters, which are obviously, mine. Lol.

**_Author's Note: _**Whoa, sorry this has taken soooo long but the last couple weeks have been insane here. CCF and all. Yeah. Anyways, here's the next chapter!

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"I s_till_ want to learn how to dance like the people on the US Dance Championships," Lindsay Willows complained to her mother while she watched the tape of said championship. Catherine rolled her eyes, continuing to do her paperwork.

"Who's your favourite dancer?" Warrick inquired, finding the dance competition more interesting than the numerous forms he was filling out.

"I like Kaylea Black cause her music is awesome, but Mary Summerson's techniques are way cooler. And the group dances she choreographed are so amazing! Did you see those gymnastics? They're awesome!" Lindsay rambled, pointing at the two dancers on the screen. She was currently watching the grand finale which consisted of all the teachers performing together in a group. The song they were dancing to was call "Change the World" from Inuyasha, and it allowed for quite a few styles of dance to be incorporated.

"Hey Linds, when this is over do you want to play Dance, Dance Revolution?" Warrick asked.

"Sure!" Lindsay answered. Catherine shook her head. It figured, the one night she brought Lindsay to work was the one night they were swamped with paperwork, and then of course, Warrick slacked off to play video games with the girl.

"Alright, I'll go get the PS2 and the dance mats," Warrick said, leaving the breakroom. Catherine sighed; they were never going to get all these forms finished.

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"Hi, I'm looking for Greg Sanders. Is he here right now?" a tall lanky blonde asked, leaning over to rest her elbows on Judy's desk.

"Um, he's out on a case right now. May I ask why you're here?" the secretary inquired.

"I'm his sister, Mary; I'm supposed to be picking him up. Do you mind if I just hang out around here until he gets back?" Mary continued, shifting her weight on her feet.

"Oh! Sure! He told me his sister was coming but I didn't know what you looked like. You're more than welcome to go back into the breakroom to wait for him. It's the fourth door on the left just down that hall," Judy beamed, pointing down the corridor.

"Thanks," Mary replied, heading down the hall. She glanced in the widows as she walked, finally coming to a door that was labelled "Breakroom". Grinning, she entered, only to find an African-American man playing D.D.R. with a teenage girl. She smiled again, quietly walking over to the couch and sitting down on it. Her white ballet dress was hanging around her ankles and therefore she rolled her eyes, moving the fabric so that she could comfortable cross her legs as she watched the D.D.R. game.

"Yes! Great try Warrick!" Lindsay said when they finished. It ended up that she received an A+ and Warrick got a B-. Warrick ruffled Lindsay's hair affectionately.

"I should probably go find your mum, she's probably not happy that I left her with all the paper work. Why don't – uh, hello," Warrick said, stopping as he turned around and saw Mary. "I'm sorry, and you are?" he questioned.

"Oh my God! You're Mary Summerson! From the dance competition! You were so awesome!" Lindsay squeaked as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry if I startled you Mr. Brown, I'm just waiting here until my brother returns," Mary explained.

"Oh, uh, okay? And your brother would be?" Warrick asked cautiously.

"Greg Sanders, he's told me all about you and the other CSIs, all good things though, except for some things about someone named Ecklie" Mary responded. Warrick nodded, trying to hide a smile about how Greg was bad mouthing Ecklie to his sister.

"Will you play a round of D.D.R. with me?" Lindsay blurted out. Mary grinned, nodding as she got up, depositing her coat on the couch and walking over to the dance mat.

"I'm gonna go find Cath and see when Greg and Sara are getting back," Warrick mumbled as the two females began dancing.

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Sara Sidle walked into the crime lab, yawing with exhaustion. She was glad that within the next twenty minutes she would be off work and heading for New York. Despite the fact that she was going to be attacked by a certain four year old the minute she got there, Sara couldn't help but be ecstatic about the vacation. Which, for Sara, was utterly odd.

She usually hated vacation time, but in this case, she was going somewhere with Greg, the man she was in love with. She was going to see his family, well; she hoped it would be _their_ family one day. Mary had already said it was Sara's family as well, but the female CSI was a bit unsure about it still. She loved Greg, yes, and she loved his family, but she didn't know if he really wanted to be with her forever. Mary said he did, and Greg himself, on countless occasions, has reassured her of that as well.

However; Sara being Sara thought that he was going to hurt her like all the other guys had. Sighing, she pushed some of her hair out of her face. What was wrong with her? She had never been this concerned over anything in her life. She obviously was overreacting about it. She laughed softly to herself. She knew why she was so worried, it was because she was actually in love, real love, for the first time in her life.

As she turned a corner she was Lindsay Willows playing Dance, Dance Revolution with Mary in the breakroom.

"Mary!" she yelled happily, running into the room and hugging Greg's sister tightly.

"Hey Sara, how've you been?" Mary inquired.

"Fantastic. You and I have so much to, ahem, talk about," Sara beamed, blushing slightly, hoping that the young Willows girl wouldn't pick up on her relationship with Greg.

"Indeed we do. Where's Greg? I have to freak out on him," Mary giggled, her wavy hair falling out of the hair pin and into her face.

"He's just dropping some stuff off to Hodges and briefing Nick on our case so that he can take over," Sara explained, smiling.

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"Who'd you say that woman is?" Catherine queried to Warrick. They were standing across the hall from the breakroom, watching Sara hug Mary.

"Greg's sister. I didn't know Sara was that much of a 'hugging' person." Warrick muttered.

"I think there's something going on between them." Catherine said bluntly. Warrick gaped at her.

"Between Sara and Greg's sister!" He asked. Catherine rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"No Warrick, between Greg and Sara. Did you notice that the only time she gets text-messages is when we're on a case? And they've been glancing at each other more recently. And now, she's hugging his sister? It was only AFTER her suspension that Sara started getting happier, and that's when her relationship with the 'mystery man' started. It could all make sense if we could just place Sara in New York with Greg and his family at Thanksgiving," Catherine rambled, making various gestures with her hands to get her point across.

"Who are we placing where?" Grissom asked, coming up behind them. Both Catherine and Warrick froze.

"Uh…" Warrick mumbled before walking away. Catherine shot him an agitated glance before smiling at Grissom.

"Well, we think that maybe…never mind," Cath scrambled, sprinting into the breakroom.

"Mom! This is Mary Summerson from the Dance Championships! Did you know that she's Greg's sister? Isn't that AWESOME!" Lindsay squealed, running over to her mother.

"No, I didn't know that until JUST now sweetheart. It's nice to meet you Ms. Summerson, I'm Catherine Willows" Catherine smiled, extending her hand to shake Mary's.

"Call me Mary, please, Ms. Summerson is too formal. You've got a very talented daughter here Catherine, you should see about getting her some dance lessons," Mary responded, shaking hands with the blonde woman.

"Well, I guess we'll have to look into that then," Cath replied. Lindsay beamed.

"Mare! Hey!" Greg shouted, coming into the room, picking his sister up, and swinging her around in a hug. Mary laughed, ruffling his hair when he put her down.

"It's nice to see your natural hair colour Gregory," Mary commented. "Oh, and other than that, YOU'RE SO ADORABLE!" Mary giggled, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"You like it then?" he asked. Mary nodded, causing Sara and Catherine to look at them in confusion. "Picture I sent her," Greg interjected, covering himself.

"Ah," Catherine said, not really convinced.

"Well, are you two ready to go?" Mary questioned. Greg and Sara both nodded. Catherine raised an eyebrow.

"Mary offered to drive me to the airport because she and Greg are already going there," Sara elucidated.

"O…k," the older woman said. Mary smirked, picking up her coat and heading for the door.

"I'll meet you two out front," she said. "It was nice meeting you Catherine, Lindsay." And with that she walked out of the breakroom, Greg and Sara leaving through the same door but heading to the locker room.

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"Excuse me," Grissom called out, jogging up beside Mary.

"Yes?" she asked, turning around.

"Is there something going on here that I should know about?" he queried.

"No, Mr. Grissom, there's nothing going on around here. Why? Are your spider senses tingling?" Mary joked. She remembered Grissom; she had met him after the lab explosion. She had come to check on Greg and look after him for a couple days when Grissom had come to visit at the hospital.

"Cut the crap Mary, what's really going on?" Grissom demanded. Mary frowned.

"Maybe if you paid more attention to the people you work with instead of your bugs then you'd know," Mary answered, leaving the building. Grissom glared in the direction she had gone. What was she not telling him? And what was going on outside the walls of the crime lab?

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**_A/N: _**There, that's all for now seeing as I have to go address millions of envelopes now. Not fun. Oh well. Hope you all liked it!

Reviews get hugs and cupcakes if you want them. :)


	4. Everything

**_Author's Note:_** Sorry that this has taken so long, but school began and I've had homework all day. Well, that and I got quite ill on Monday (when I was going to finish/post this) and had to go to the hospital. Sprained a muscle my ass.

Ahem, anyways, on with the chapter. :)

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Grissom, well, despite how he was an amazing CSI, he had no idea what was going on with his employees. So, now, after all these years he was finally becoming attracted to Sara, or at least, that's what Mary could sense was going on.

He should have known that Sara had moved on, but alas, he was an idiot in the love department. Mary nearly laughed aloud, thinking of how Grissom's aura was less than intelligent in the heart area. He cared about his job so much that it clouded his judgment towards the other sections of his life.

Mary just shook her head again, she shouldn't have as rude as she was, it wasn't like her to act that way. Somehow she just felt like she had to protect the relationship between her brother and Sara, it was her duty she guessed. So, as to try and help the older man understand what was going on, Mary decided to write him an email, hopefully explaining what exactly was going on.

She quietly started typing, trying her best no wake her brother and hopefully soon to be sister-in-law. Mary sighed softly, swiping some of her hair back into the ponytail that sat on the back of her head. She glanced over at Greg and Sara as nervous reaction. Sara was curled up in her seat, her head resting on Greg's shoulder. Greg had his arm wrapped around her and his head resting on top of hers. Mary just smiled; they really were in love. Shaking herself out of her reverie, Mary went back to the email that she struggling to write. It was going to be a long flight.

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Gil Grissom sat at his desk, still puzzled after what that woman had said to him. Mary Sanders, no, her name was Summerson, was one annoyance that Grissom just couldn't understand. He had always thought Greg to be the mystery, but after meeting his older sister, Grissom had to rethink his opinions. Clicking on the icon for his email, Grissom was slightly shocked to see an email from said confusing woman. It was titled "An Apology and An Explanation." Grissom frowned, he wasn't sure that he wanted an explanation. He tentatively opened the letter, scanning over it. It read:

_Dear Gil,_

_I'm sorry that I acted with such malice earlier today. I'd like to apologize for the way that I snapped at you, it really wasn't my place to do such a thing. I just thought that you may like an explanation for what occurred earlier on today in the walls of your lab. _

_First of all, I'd just like to say that sometimes you may want to pay a tad more attention to the people you work with. As you may have noticed, Sara Sidle has been in a better mood over the last month. And Gil, I'm going to be honest with you, that may be because of her relationship with my brother. _

_Last month, while Sara was suspended over the Thanksgiving holidays, she came up to New York and spent the weekend with us. Over which said time, she and Gregory bonded to a new extent. I'm afraid that I cannot give the full details seeing as I think that would be imposing on both Gregory and Sara's private lives, but I will tell you that there is something between them that is more than just friendship. _

_Gil, you have to understand that Sara waited for you as long as she could, and trust me on this one, five years is a long time to wait for something. Gregory is good for her, you have to believe me. He's truly what she needs in her life, and they really do compliment each other in every possible way. He makes her laugh you know. She had such a sad aura before but she really is happier now. Please Gil; I need you to understand this. Gregory really does mean a lot to her, and damnit, Sara means the world to him. _

_I need you to keep this information to yourself seeing as they do not wish it to be completely public just yet. They love each other Gil, and they make each other happy. And isn't that all we really want in this life? To find happiness and love?_

_I hope you understand. _

_-Mary Summerson_

Grissom sat dumbfounded at his desk. Had Mary just told him what he thought she had? He had to read over the letter again, and by the time he was finished his hands were shaking. Sara and Greg were together.

He had missed his chance with her.

Grissom sighed, shutting off the computer before walking to the breakroom. He slammed his fist down on the counter angrily. He was so stupid.

'_Great job Gil, you missed your chance with a beautiful, intelligent woman, all because you were too wrapped up in your work,'_ Grissom mentally scolded himself. He was a fool, and Mary was right, he hadn't even noticed the changes in his workplace.

Sure, he had seen Sara looking happier lately but he just hadn't put two and two together. He had figured that it was because she was more relaxed after her suspension. Looked like he was wrong. Again.

"Gil, you okay?" Catherine asked, having been sitting at the table throughout his outburst.

"I'm fine Cath," Grissom answered, taking a deep breath.

"You don't sound or look fine to me," Catherine commented, standing up and walking over to where he was standing at the counter. "Want to tell me what's going on?"

"No. I was asked not to Cath, and despite how I really could care less, I'm still going to respect the wishes of other," Grissom responded. He may have been mad, but he wasn't going to anger Greg and Sara because he knew that Mary Summerson wouldn't be far behind them with her pitchfork and torch.

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"Uncle Greg! Auntie Sara!" Michelle screamed, running out of the front door, through the snow and into Sara's arms. Mary rolled her eyes.

"Michelle, what did I tell you?" Kevin called from the doorway, hands on his hips. Michelle blushed, looking down at her feet instead of at her father.

"Its fine Kevin," Sara smirked, shaking her head as she carried the four year old back up to the porch. Kevin looked at Sara inquisitively before giving her a hug.

"It's great to see you again," he said.

"It's nice to see you too Kevin," she smiled. Michelle was pulling at Sara's sleeve then. "Yes Michelle?"

"Wanna see the Christmas tree?" Michelle asked. Sara nodded as she was led into the living room.

"Isn't it nice to see that my own daughter doesn't even say hello to me," Mary muttered.

"Well then, I'll say hello to you," Kevin said, walking over to the van and pressing a kiss against his wife's lips.

"Eww, cut it out!" Greg whined, smiling. Mary's response was to grab a handful of snow and whip it at him. "Hey!" Greg protested.

"Deserved," Mary giggled as Kevin wrapped an arm around her, taking her bag, and leading her to the house.

"It's nice to see you too Greggo," Kevin called back to his brother-in-law.

"Yeah, yeah" Greg muttered.

"Kev…where are Clara and Cody?" Mary inquired.

"My parents picked Clara up from the airport last night and then she and Cody went to Fort Erie with them. I hope that's okay. My Mum just really wanted to have a couple days with them before Christmas. She said she and my Dad are bringing them back on Christmas Eve," Kevin explained.

"That's fine…but why didn't Michelle go?"

"Are you kidding? All week all I've heard from her is '_Uncle Greg and Auntie Sara are coming!'"_ Kevin chortled. "There was no convincing her to go up there. She HAD to be here for all this…I keep telling her its _Miss_ Sara, but no, she reverts back to _Auntie_ the minute I stop talking." He explained.

"Well then, maybe we'll have to make that a formality that we no longer have to deal with," Greg commented quietly before going into the living room to find his niece and his girlfriend.

"Yes, let's hope that's something that we can soon change," Mary agreed. Kevin smiled at her.

"I've missed you Mare," he said. Mary just smiled, leaning up and kissing him again.

"I've missed you too Kev," she said.

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**_A/N: _**Alright, that's the end of that chapter because I'm tired and my head hurts. Hope you all enjoyed it!

Reviews get….candy from the fair, because I went to the Beamsville Fair today with Michelle AKA Sleepyhead22 and her siblings.


	5. What You Don't Know

**_WARNING: _**A tid-bit of sexual references / situations. Nothing graphic so no worries.

**_Author's Note:_** SOME KILL ME I HATE GRADE 11. There is WAY too much homework! Seriously. Combine piano, school, homework, belly dancing and volunteer work and you get my weekly schedule. Also add in Thursday nights as a write off because I spend them with Sleepyhead22 and yeah, no time for ANYTHING. I actually had to work today from 6.30 – 3. Not fun. I also have to finish a bunch of lacrosse tickets by Sunday. Gotta love my school and everything. Anyways, here's the next chapter. FINALLY. :) And if there are millions of mistakes, its cause I can't breathe through my nose cause I have ANOTHER cold. Ahem….

Hope you like it!

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"Can we play a game…_please?_" Michelle begged, pulling on Greg's pant leg as he yawned for what seemed like the millionth time since they had gotten to New York.

"Michelle! Come on, your Uncle Greg and Miss Sara want to get some sleep. Why don't you come with me to go get a few last minute Christmas presents for your Auntie Alanna and Uncle Mark?" Mary urged, giving her brother a sympathetic look. Sara was already partially asleep on the couch next to him, her head on his shoulder.

"But Mommy-" Michelle started. Mary glared at her.

"No Michelle, come on. Leave your poor Uncle alone for a couple hours. You can see them when we get back." Michelle reluctant sigh before going over to where her mother stood in the doorway. "That's a good girl. Now, go get your coat and boots on please." When the little girl was out of ear shot Greg lat out a soft laugh, startling Sara and causing her to sit up, blinking rapidly.

"Sorry Babe," he whispered, kissing her temple softly. The action made Mary want to giggle, it was so cute. "Thanks Mare, I love Shell and all, but I'm exhausted." He muttered, eyes only half open. Mary nodded.

"I know," she said. "Why don't you and Sara go upstairs and take a nap while Michelle and I go shopping? Kevin's leaving in about ten minutes to go pick some things up as well. Greg, I set up your usual bedroom for you two, I hope that's okay." She finished.

"That's fine Mare, thanks," Greg answered. Sara just nodded in appreciation before Greg gently helped her off the couch, leading her towards the stairs. Mary just beamed at them before going to hunt down her boots and retrieve her daughter before she got into anything else that could be disruptive.

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"Mommy, what are we buying?" Michelle queried. Mary turned to her daughter, smiling.

"Something vary special because I think something very exciting is going to happen," was the blonde woman's answer as she walked down the mall hallway, heading towards a store that was tucked away in a corner.

"What's going to happen?" Michelle pestered, trying to get her mother to go into the toy store by tugging at her hand. Mary just ruffled Michelle's hair, smiling again.

"You'll see soon enough young one," she said as they entered the small shop.

"Ms Summerson!" a grey haired woman smiled, coming over and giving Mary a hug. "And young Michelle, I haven't seen you since you were a baby!"

"Kari, I need something very special for my brother and his girlfriend," Mary explained as Michelle walked off to look at the glass ornaments in the various cases that lined the walls.

"How special?"

"Special enough that I came here," Mary laughed, pushing her hair out of her face. Kari giggled, walking over to the counter.

"Well," she began. "I think I have just the right thing!"

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Kevin stood at the airport. Pick something up. No, it was more like he had to pick _someone_ up. Two someones for that matter alone. Glancing up at the Arrivals/Departures board for what seemed like the tenth time in the past two minutes Kevin sighed. Their plane was on time…thank God.

Jogging down past the check-in counters, he went to a coffee shop, buying a cappuccino before heading down the "Arrivals" level. He really hated airports, but with his job, Mary's competitions and the family that they both had spread around the country and the globe, he was used to being in them.

Leaning against one of the poles that lined the never-ending corridor, he waited for the status of "On Time" to switch to "Arrived" before depositing his now empty cup into a trash can and heading to the respective gate.

It wouldn't be long now, and he hoped that Mary and Greg would appreciate the surprise he had planned for them.

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"How tired are you?" Sara asked, looking at Greg as he lay on the bed in their room. Kevin had left about twenty minutes prior, saying that he had to get something, as Mary had already informed them.

"Tired enough….why?" Greg questioned, rolling onto his side so that he could look directly at her.

"I was thinking that maybe we could, you know…" Sara blushed, trailing off. A wicked smirk crossed Greg's face, the tiredness disappearing from his eyes.

"Lock the door Sara," was all he said.

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Mary yawned, opening the front door, her hands full of bags.

"Michelle, why don't you-" Mary started, stopping suddenly. Her face paled as she put the bags in the closet. "Let's go build a snowman." She interjected in the middle of her own train of thought.

"But I want to see Uncle Greg and Miss Sara!" Michelle pouted.

"Um, they're sleeping. Please can we build a snowman? You and I haven't built one all year!" Mary continued, grabbing a scarf from the hat rack and slinging it around her neck. Michelle frowned before sighing, heading for the door.

"Mommy," the four year old said, turning to face her mother, questions in her eyes.

"Yes Michelle?" Mary replied, chewing her bottom lip nervously.

"What's that banging sound?" Michelle queried. Mary nearly passed out, starts seeming to fly around in her head.

"The furnace. It's just the furnace," she scrambled, leading her daughter back outside.

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Greg blinked his eyes open. He didn't want to sleep but his body was telling him it was the best thing to do.

"I love you, you know" he whispered, kissing Sara's slightly damp hair.

"I know…love you too," she mumbled, already half asleep against his shoulder. Greg just smiled at her. Finally closing his eyes and succumbing to sleep at last.

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**_A/N_**: Alright, that's that. I really wanna breathe through my nose… :(

Okay. Yes. Hope you all liked that…you probably can all guess what transpired. Mmmhmm.

As always, reviews get baked goods or candy. Next chapter SHOULD be up within the next 2 weeks if school allows that.

Thanks for reading!

-Jules


	6. Sickness and Shopping

**_Author's Note:_** Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. I REALLY didn't mean for this to take so long. Stupid school. I hate it. Murder it. Blah. Ahem, also, if I accidentally write Elphaba or Fiyero anywhere, do forgive me, I'm a tad OCD over Wicked at the moment and I don't have.

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Greg yawned, slipping out of the bed he had been in for the past few hours. Sara didn't wake up though, instead, she rolled over, away from where he had been and let out a soft sigh. Greg shook his head, creeping around the room until he found some clothes. Pulling them on, he snuck out the door and down the stairs. Michelle was on the floor in the living room, asleep, while "Disney's Hercules" played on the television (**A/N **I love that movie and Idina Menzel guest starred in one of the TV episodes…shutting up)

Shaking his head again, he went into the kitchen, intent on finding something to eat. However, when he got to the door, he saw his sister, asleep with her head on the table. Greg frowned; Mary had never been one to fall asleep in random places before. Her skin was pale against the deep red of the table cloth and that fact only intensified Greg's worry for his older sister.

"Mare," he whispered, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Instantly the blonde woman awoke; her hazel eyes dark. She inhaled sharply, glancing around, blonde waves falling in front of her eyes.

"What?" She demanded; her voice etched with sleep.

"Are you okay?" Greg queried, sitting down on the chair next to her. Mary yawned, rubbing at her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll be fine Greggo," Mary answered, her eyes trying to close again.

"You should go to bed Mare, you're exhausted," he insisted, softly helping her up, an arm around her waist. Mary just nodded sleepily, her head resting on her brother's shoulder as he guided her up the stairs. He practically had to carry her down the hall, resting her on the bed and pulling the covers up around her lean frame. "Now you're sure you're going to be okay? I can call a doctor if you want," Greg rambled. Mary smirked slightly.

"I'm fine Greggo, just….put Michelle to bed for me please…" she whispered, already falling back into the oblivion of slumber. Greg sighed, kissing her forehead and going back downstairs. The young girl was curled up in a ball, a blanked lay haphazardly over her small body. Greg scooped her off the floor, her arms going instantly to his neck.

He was only halfway to his niece's room when he saw Sara standing in the hall, a perplexed gaze in her eyes. She smiled, seeing the child in his arms and went to open the door to the girl's room for him.

"She nodded off watching Hercules," Greg explained once he had put Michelle in her bed and retreated back to the hallway.

"Where's Mary?" Sara asked, following her lover down to the kitchen for something to eat.

"In bed. She looked pretty sick. I found her down here, asleep on the table. I know my sister Babe, she doesn't sleep on tables. Ever. I'm really worried about her," Greg confessed, sitting down at the counter with two plated of pasta salad. Sara glanced over at him.

"Do you think she's ill?" the brunette questioned. Greg shrugged.

"Who's sick?" Kevin asked, appearing in the kitchen doorway.

"We think Mare might be coming down with something, she was kinda passed out on the table when I came down here," Greg explained again. Kevin sighed, nodding.

"I'll go keep an eye on her. Is Michelle in bed?"

"Yeah, we put her down a couple minutes ago," Sara replied.

"Thanks. I'll see you in the morning," Kevin called, already heading for his bedroom to check on his wife. Sara rested a hand on Greg's shoulder, the other coming up to tilt his gaze up to hers.

"You going to be okay?" She inquired. Greg nodded, giving her a weak smile. "I love you," she said.

"I love you too Sar," Greg replied.

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"What the hell?!" Greg asked, coming into the kitchen the next morning and finding Mary dancing around with a bowl of pancake batter. "I thought you were sick!" he exclaimed.

"What can I say little brother, it was jet-lag, that's all. I didn't mean to scare you," she giggled, pouring some of the batter into a frying pan. Greg shook his head, sitting down at the table. "Oh," she began, turning to face him, a stern look on her face. "If Michelle asks, you were VERY cold yesterday because the furnace was acting up." She said, eyes glaring. Greg cocked his head, eyebrow raised. Mary rolled her eyes, going back to her cooking.

"I don't get it. The furnace was working fine," Greg commented. Mary let out a rattled breath, shooting him a glance over her shoulder.

"She heard the banging you idiot," was all she said. Greg turned scarlet, dropping his head to the cloth covered surface of the table. "Anyways, I was wondering if you and Sara are going shopping in the village today? I was speaking to Kate and she said that your…umm...the you know what is finished," Mary stumbled, not sure how to refer to the ring.

"Then I suppose I should go pick it up. Did she say how much I owe her?"

"Just what the materials cost, she said she doesn't want anything for the labour."

"That's nice of her."

"Indeed it is, indeed it is."

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"This place is so gorgeous," Sara commented as she and Greg walked down the snow covered village street. It truly looked like an old-world town; the shops small and close together with fireplaces burning brightly within. It wasn't that they didn't have central heating, it was that they chose the more rustic style.

"I know. Mare said that this little place was half the reason why she and Kevin decided to move here," he answered, an arm wrapped around her shoulders. The light snow fell from the sky, settling itself in Sara's hair. She tried to brush some of the flakes off, unsuccessfully which made Greg laugh softly. She went to swat at him but ended up in a passionate kiss instead. When they broke apart Greg rested his head against hers, eyes closed. "Do you have any idea how much I love you Sara?" he asked.

"If its as much as I love you, then yes," she replied, gently taking his hand and continuing down the street.

"We should pop in and say hi to Kate," Greg announced, pulling Sara towards a small jewellery shop to the left. Sara giggled, following him closely as the entered the warmly lit store.

"Greg!" the black haired woman laughed, running out from behind the counter and hugging him. "And you must be Sara, it's great to meet you!" she said, turning to Sara and embracing her as well.

"Nice to see you again Kate," Greg smiled, Sara nodded.

"I'm going to look around, if you don't mind," Sara said, wandering off into the front room of the store.

"She might not wonder off again, come on, I've gotta give you the you know what," Kate said, dragging Greg over to the counter, pulling out a box from under the cash. She flicked it open, holding it out to Greg who smiled fondly at the ring, tracing one of its contours with his index finger.

"Its beautiful Kate," he mused, quickly hiding the box in his pocked, afraid Sara would see. Kate grinned.

"Glad you like it," she said, passing him the receipt which he shrugged at, handing her his credit card which she swept through the card reader. "She's looking at wedding bands you know," Kate muttered, dealing with the cash register.

"Huh?" Greg asked, coming out of his trance.

"The cabinet Sara is looking at has wedding bands in it," the black haired woman said. Greg blushed.

"Well then, I guess I got this at the right time then, didn't I?" he chuckled. "You done Sare-bear?" he called. Sara looked over at him, smiling broadly. She nodded and within moments they had said their goodbyes to Kate and were back out in the streets, snow again coming into contact with their skin.

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**_A/N_** Okay there ya go. Sorry sorry sorry again about the time this has taken to write/post. I'll TRY to do the next chapter faster but unfortunately I can't gaurentee anything other than I MAY post some Wicked stuff if I get a couple minutes to type it up within the next little while. Please do excuse all the typos and whatnot, no BETA + typing at 93 words a minute can do that to you.

Reviews are greatly appreciated. I would offer you baked goods but I have no time to make them……


	7. Kali and an Explination

**_Author's Note_**: -hides from flying objects- I'm ssssooooo sorry that this has taken so long. School was murder the last couple weeks then, par to course, I had to get sick the day before Christmas break with severe strep-throat and am literally just getting back on my feet (and the computer) today. I tell you, someone really doesn't want me writing. ANYWAYS, lets get on with this so I can feel less guilty. Although, warning, this chapter isn't a completely happy one. It needs some sadness in it I think….

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Greg and Sara laughed as they walked back into the house. Snow was still lying in their hair but the couple didn't seem to mind too much.

"I can't believe that girl didn't want toys! I mean, I always wanted toys as a kid, who wanted clothes?" Greg laughed, nearly falling as he tried to take his boots off.

"I know! I never wanted clothes either. Now, however, I wouldn't mind getting clothes as presents. That is, as long as they're not something that Cath would wear," she commented, shaking the snow from her dark hair.

"Hey Mare, we're back!" Greg called loudly, causing his sister to poke her head out of the office.

"Greg, there's someone out back who is dying to see you," Mary said, trying not to smile.

"Who?" Greg queried. "Michelle?"

"No, Kali."

"Kali, as in Kaliya? My Kaliya?" Greg stammered. Mary nodded, her eyes not meeting his. Greg beamed, pulling his boots back on and bolting out of the house. Sara just stood there, anger on her face. Who the hell was Kaliya?

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She sat on the partially frozen hammock, her long silver-blonde hair blowing in the wind. Despite the cold, it really was a beautiful day. She smiled, hearing the front door of the house slam shut, followed by a person running through the snow towards her.

"Hello Greg," she said calmly, hearing him breathing only a foot away from where she was sitting.

"Kali," he panted, rushing over and scooping her up into a hug, swinging her around. Kali laughed, shaking her head when he set her down in the snow. Her long beige skirt fluttered around her ankles; her cream jacket clinging to her slim form. She gently cupped Greg's cheek, her light blue eyes staring blankly at him. Almost instantly she froze, her brow furrowing.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Sara yelled, coming up behind Greg. Kali backed away, trying to feel her way with her feet.

"Sar, listen, this is my cousin, Kaliya. We haven't seen each other since I left high school," Greg explained, gently placing a hand on Sara's arm. The brunette looked at him quizzically.

"Is she glaring at me?" Kali asked, her void eyes looking past Sara and off into the snow. Sara scanned the blonde woman with confusion, glancing at Greg for an explanation.

"No Kal, Sara just hasn't exactly been told about you yet. Why don't we all go inside, it's freezing out here!" Greg said, shivering slightly as he went to lead Sara back to the house.

"I'm going to stay out here for a while Greg, I like the winter…" Kali responded, retreating back to her hammock. Greg sighed, starting back with Sara.

"Greg…what's wrong with her eyes? Is she blind?" Sara questioned softly.

"Yeah, she has been for years. My other cousin, Alanna, who's Kali's older sister has been trying to come up with a cure for the past…hmm…at least five years now. She's a medical researcher out of Cayuga. She and I used to be really close Sar, like best friends. Kali and Alanna's parents, my dad's brother and his wife, lets just say they weren't the nicest and most supportive parents in history. They used to tell Kali she was useless and that she'd never get anywhere in life. They hated the fact that they produced a 'flawed child' as they called her. But, Sara, you've got to understand this, despite how she can't see, Kali is one of the brightest people I've ever know. She's a computer programmer and she can speak ten languages." Greg rambled squeezing Sara's hand, trying to reassure her that Kali wasn't an old love interest. Sara sighed, nodding.

"I'm sorry that I…that I jumped to conclusions. I just…I love you Greg, I'm scared of losing you," she confessed as they walked through the back door and into the kitchen.

"Sar, you can never lose me, I don't love anyone but you." Greg said, stroking her cheek and placing a kiss on her lips.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

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Later that night, while watching a movie, Greg realized that his sister had seemingly disappeared from their family again. He whispered to Sara that he was going to go look for her before sneaking out of the living room and down the hall, towards the kitchen. He stopped at the door, seeing Mary standing by the sink, hands gripping the counter with great ferocity.

"Mare? What's wrong?" he asked, striding over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. He looked at her face, surprised to see tearstains covering her cheeks and another bead of sorrow slid down from her eyes.

"Its all my fault." Mary said, shaking.

"What's your fault?"

"I shouldn't have pushed myself; I shouldn't have gone to that competition."

"Mare, what are you talking about?"

"Greg….I…I….I had a miscarriage last night," Mary confessed, completely breaking down and falling against him, her head buried in his shoulder. Greg was shocked to say the least. It explained everything. Why she had been acting so strange the night before. Why she was trying to act cheerful this morning but not being truly able to pull it off. Why she didn't want to meet his eyes.

"Does Kevin know?"

"Of course Kevin knows! He was the only one who even knew I _was_ pregnant." Mary shot back, pushing away from her younger brother and storming over to the kitchen table, flopping down in a chair, elbows on her knees and head in her hands.

"So you hadn't told the kids yet?"

"No Gregory, I hadn't. I was only six weeks along, the doctor thought it would be okay for me to go and do the competition, said it wouldn't hurt anything. I wanted to make sure everything was okay before saying anything to the kids. I would hate to have to tell them one minute they're getting another sibling and the next to take that away from them." She whimpered. "It's just….its all my fault."

"Mary, your doctor said it was okay. You didn't do anything wrong. Everything happens for a reason, you're the one who taught me that. For some reason that baby wasn't meant to be." Greg said, trying to convince her that she was not in the wrong. Mary let out a soft laugh, shaking her head.

"Thanks Greg."

"For what?"

"You may not know this, but you're always able to make me feel better, even in the worse instances of my life. I'm so lucky to have you as a brother and Sara is so lucky to have you in her life too."

"Thanks Mare. You want me to stay with you until you're feeling well enough to come back to the movie?"

"Nah, I'll be fine, but, I would like to see what Kate made for you." Mary smirked, light finally coming back into her eyes. Greg shook his head, helping her out of the chair and leading her upstairs.

"Alright, but no screaming, I don't want Sara to know what's going on."

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**_A/N:_** Okay, that was short and horrible because this chapter actually posed quite a bit of writer's block for me. Stupid brain being dead on penicillin and other meds.

Anyways, hope you didn't hate it too much, I really will try to get the next part up faster.

Reviews are loved and hugged. :)


	8. Christmas Eve Beginnings

**_Author's Note:_** Not even going to give excuses. You all know about school and how much work there is during January for high school students. (Any spelling that looks odd to people, it's because I'm Estonian-Canadian, my vocabulary is very odd) That and I keep thinking of "Callie O'Malley" when I write "Kali" now. Stupid Grey's brain washing me.

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Christmas Eve began with Kevin's parents, Maret and Edward, arriving at nine in the morning with Clara and Cody. Clara, usually the modest child, was still on a kick of showing off the medal she had won at the dance competition. Mary smiled at her daughter, trying her hardest not to show that she was just as proud as her daughter was.

"Mom, where's Uncle Greg?" Clara asked, bounding into the kitchen after she kicked her boots off and hung up her coat.

"Upstairs. I think he and Sara are still asleep. They were up pretty late last night." Mary answered, smiling down at the sight of her wedding ring. She and Kevin had been married for 15 years. _15 years today_ she thought.

"MOM! I don't want to know that!" Clara gasped, frantically shaking her head. Mary rolled her eyes.

"Clara Summerson, get your head out of the gutter. Greg and I stayed up late talking and Sara was watching a movie with Auntie Alanna, Uncle Mark and Aunt Kali."

"Ohh…" Clara mumbled, darting out of the kitchen as fast as she could.

"Happy Anniversary," Kevin whispered, coming up behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. Mary turned her head, planting a kiss on his lips.

"Happy Anniversary to you too," she beamed.

"You up to leaving the kids here with Greg and Sara while I take you to lunch before we have to go to mass and whatnot?" Kevin queried.

"Of course I am!" Mary giggled.

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Greg sat on the windowsill of his room, wringing his hands together nervously as he watched Sara sleep. He was going to ask her to marry him. Not at that exact moment but soon. Very soon. And he was terrified. She said she loved him but what if she didn't want to get married. He knew she wasn't 100 percent fond of marriage but that was because a lot of the time, marriages weren't the way they were meant to be.

Eternal bonds of love. Bonding of the soul, the heart and the bodies to one another. He could remember what Mary said on her wedding day.

"_Marriage isn't something to be taken lightly, Greg. It's something that completely binds you to one person, the person you love with all your heart; that you miss even when they've only been away from you for five minutes and that you can't imagine yourself living without. It's the person you can't get out of your mind at night and thinking about them keeps you up. When you marry someone, it shows that you love them entirely and that there is no one else in the world that you love more. That's how I feel about Kevin, and I know that one day you're going to find someone you feel the same way about, never give up on that person Greg, they're your soul mate, and you're meant to be together forever."_

Thinking about his sister's speech made him smile. Mary was right, _as usual_, he thought, laughing quietly.

"What are you thinking about?" Sara asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. Greg grinned at her, getting up and crawling back into bed next to her.

"Who said I was thinking?" he inquired.

"You had your 'thinking' face," she answered, snuggling into his shoulder. Greg stroked her hair. "What are we doing today?"

"Well, Kevin asked me if we can watch the kids while he and Mare go out for lunch, it's their fifteenth anniversary today. Then, the family is all going to 9 o'clock mass I think, but we don't have to, I have something better for us to do." Greg said.

"Better?"

"Much better."

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"Aunt Kali, what are you doing?" Cody asked, watching as his blonde aunt as she fingered the keys on the grand piano. His parents had left for their lunch date and therefore he and his sisters were left in the care of his aunts and uncles.

"I'm just amazed at how smooth these are," Kali answered absently, blinking as she ran her hand over the B-flat key, pressing it down and giggling when it made a sound. Cody raised an eyebrow, resembling his mother to a tea, before bolting into the hallway.

"Auntie Alanna! I think Aunt Kali is drunk!" He announced to Alanna and Sara. The brunette CSI burst out laughing and Alanna just smirked.

"And why would you say that Cody?" Alanna queried.

"Because, she was looking at the piano really funny," Cody mumbled.

"Sara, can you check on her?" Alanna questioned.

"Of course," Sara replied, heading into the living room. "Kali, are you okay?" The blonde turned to her, smiling like crazy.

"Greg is right, you are beautiful," Kali sighed, flipping some of her hair over her shoulder. Sara raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean? The whole raised eyebrow thing? Cody had the same expression." She went on. Sara's jaw dropped.

"You….you saw that?"

"Yeah!" Kali squealed, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"What colour is my hair?" Sara asked.

"Brown. And your eyes are almost like chocolate. I found some chocolate in the cupboard earlier." The younger woman giggled uncontrollably.

"OH MY GOD!" Sara yelled. She ran forward, grabbing Kali and hugging her.

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**_A/N:_** Ahem, I know this is UBER short but I'm working on a schedule. One which is me going to school, coming home, doing my school work and then sleeping for the rest of the day. I tell you, grade 11 is horrible, especially during exam time and then the start of a new semester. I have exam review tomorrow…ugh….if I do well I may post another chapter of this really soon, or one of _Wheelbarrow_. Depends where the creativity strikes.

Thank you all for reading and again I apologize for the lack of updates.

Please review, it'll make me less nervous about my semester 1 marks and the fact that my semester 2 science teacher is rase. I mean pregnant. :)


	9. Miracles

**_Disclaimer_**: Don't own CSI or Charmed, just borrowing them for a little bit.

**_Author's Note:_** I started this during tech on Wednesday (mainly because I was finished my business logo on Sunday because I thought it was due Monday) and I'm just finishing it now because classes have been hell-ish as of late and therefore I've had no time for anything other than homework and trying to figure out the D-Day party my friends and I were having. So, enough about me and my weird, hectic life and on with the chapter.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Sara stood at the doorway next to Greg, an eager Michelle in her arms. The three were intently watching as Alanna moved her medical flashlight back and forth in front of Kali's eyes. She was trying to hold back a smile, Greg could tell.

"Well? What's your diagnosis?" Kali asked, smirking as Alanna sat back on her haunches in front of the couch and her baby sister, the light falling to her side.

"How many fingers?" Alanna persisted, holding up her hand.

"Three, now can I please go outside? I want to see what a snowman looks like," Kali groaned, shaking her head. Alanna giggled suddenly, grabbing onto her sister and hugging her.

"I can't believe it worked! After all these years of trying and failing, we actually found a drug that can regenerate eyesight! Oh Kali!" the older sister said, practically bounding around the room as she danced with her sister. Kali laughed, watching as Greg beamed at her, his one arm around Sara's shoulders.

"You guys _look_ adorable!" she said, punctuating the word 'look' with happiness. Sara blushed, putting Michelle down so that she could go join her aunt in their frantic race for the door and the wonders of the outside world. Alanna wasn't far behind, calling for Mark, Cody and Clara on her way. Greg pulled Sara close, planting a kiss on her temple.

"I have a surprise for you tonight," he whispered. Sara giggled.

"Is it liquid latex? Cause, if it is, I think we should wait until we get back to Vegas to use it," Sara replied. Greg rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head.

"I wouldn't dream of having that stuff around the kids, Michelle would probably think it was a form of glue or something and then Mare would take my head clean off of my shoulders without a second thought about it." He answered, taking her hand and leading her to the kitchen so they could watch the others making a snowman with Kali in the backyard.

"Okay then, what is it?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Mary and Kevin got back around four only to be shocked with Kali commenting on how Mary needed new highlights in her hair. Kevin just looked at the younger blonde woman, not sure what he was supposed to do, or say for that matter.

"It's a bloody miracle, that's what this is, you know that, right?" Alanna said, coming over to where her sister stood in the driveway with their cousins.

"Of course I know that Al, I can't believe this myself. You'll have to call the lab first thing on Boxing Day to tell them! And we'll have to get a couple others in the trial before we can deem the treatment completely successful! It's so exciting!" Kali rambled, jumping around in the snow before going off to the barn to see the horses. Kevin shook his head, wrapping an arm around Mary's waist as Alanna went chasing after her sister.

"Does this make you feel a bit better about the miscarriage?" he asked her. Mary nodded, smiling up at him.

"Yes, it did, and, if I get a one word answer starting with a 'y' when we get home from mass tonight it will make me completely ecstatic," was his wife's reply.

"A one word – Ohh, okay," Kevin laughed. "I'm guessing the auras are leaning towards the 'y' word?"

"They damn well better be or I'm going to go have a word with whomever is in charge of the cosmic balance of things!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Greg sat in the kitchen, chewing his bottom lip nervously. It was almost eight. Mary and the others would be leaving soon. Very soon. And when they left, it was time for him to set his plan into action. His plan. That was what was scaring him more than anything. He was more nervous about it than anything else he had ever done in his life.

"She'll probably figure out something is up with you if you keep acting like a raving lunatic," Mary commented, coming into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Greg blinked at his older sister, wondering why she was calling him a lunatic. That was, until he realized he was pacing back and forth, ripping a napkin to shreds.

"Sorry," he muttered, sitting down on the edge of the counter.

"Its going to be fine Greg, you just need to calm down," his sister instructed, pushing some of her hair behind her ear as she put the glass back down in the sink.

"Are you sure? Cause what if-"

"No what ifs! How many times have I told you that? Honestly, I've been telling you that since you were born. Well, maybe a year or so after that, but concept being, there aren't any what ifs allowed. You go out there and tell Sara what you need to and that's that. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Greg chortled. Mary rolled her eyes.

"I'm still too young to be a 'ma'am'" she growled playfully.

"Uh-huh, and by you saying that I have come to one conclusion, you've been watching too much Charmed. You're starting to sound like Paige in that one episode with the fountain of youth." He grinned, ducking as a dishtowel came flying towards him.

"I can't help that it's entertaining and romantic!" she shot back, heading for the door. "We'll be back around ten. And Greg, the fact that _you_ made the Charmed reference means that _you've_ been watching it too much." And with that she disappeared into the hall. Greg laughed nervously. It was almost time. One question could change everything. His life, his future, his everything. He ran a hand over his face, sighing deeply before getting up. He had to go get Sara.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**_A/N: _**Okay, I know its short, but as I said, school is hell. If you hadn't guessed, I've been watching too much Charmed, hence the reference.

Reviews are loved and hugged and rewarded with awesome Sandle & Triquetra cookies.


	10. Moonlight Romance

_**Author's Note:**_ OMG so so so sooooo sorry. Stupid musical, eating all my spare time...grr…

Shutting up now, will talk more after the chapter.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Greg, come on, where are you taking me?" Sara asked, her voice full of laughter and questions.

"You'll see in a minute," he answered, hands still over her eyes as he led her out the front door and onto the porch. "Ready?" he questioned. Sara nodded. He lifted his hands away, revealing the horses that were tied to a sleigh in front of the house. Sara gasped, eyeing the white and brown creatures with wonder as snow began to settle in her hair.

"Oh my God, Greg! They're gorgeous!" She said, bounding down the steps and running a hand over the one horse's mane.

"So you like it?" Greg queried nervously, hands in his pockets.

"I love it!" she ran back onto the porch then, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him. "Can we go for a ride?" she asked eagerly. Greg laughed, nodding as he took her hand, leading her to the sleigh and helping her up into it. He then hopped up, sitting down beside her and covering their laps with the wool blanket that was spread on the seats. "Where did you get them?"

"Well, the darker horse, her name is Bea, she's Kali's and Leo, the lighter one, is Mary's. The sleigh was a recent acquisition of my sister and she said I was more than welcome to use it as a part of your gift," Greg explained, clicking the reigns and making the horses trot forward. Sara giggled, leaning her head against his shoulder.

The light from the lanterns on the front of the sleigh glowed brightly as the horses pulled them through the snow and towards the forest edge. The lights flickered in Sara's eyes, making them sparkle against the snow which was coming down in a constant light mist, making everything look like it was from a snow globe or a Christmas movie. Sara was absolutely calm which was the polar opposite of her lover. Greg was gripping the reigns for dear life, mainly because of his nerves.

He had gone over it a thousand times since they had gotten to New York. What he would say, where he would do it, how he would sound. Everything. And yet, now, as they neared the spot he had chosen, he was scared senseless. Were they moving too fast? Was this the right course to take? Sara had said she hated weddings once, what if she...

No, he couldn't think like that. He loved her and she loved him. That was all that mattered in the world. Grissom and Ecklie could shove it for all he cared at that moment.

He pulled on the horse's reigns, making them stop just under the cluster of tree branches that covered the path. The moon shone down, the fire from the lanterns making the snow brighter than normal. Greg cleared his throat.

"Sara, um, there's something I've been meaning to talk with you about," he started. Sara turned to him then, concern in her eyes.

"Okay..." she said, not sure what to expect. Her stomach clenched, hoping that her brain wasn't moving too quickly. Was he going to ask her what she thought he was?

"Sara, from the moment I met you I've loved you. I know that sounds stupid and everything and that everyone thought I just had a huge crush on you but they were wrong. They are wrong. I have loved you since day one and I know that I will love you until the very last breath escapes my lips. And, even then, even though I won't be on this earth I will still love you. No matter what anyone says, nor what they try to do to us. I love you and that's all that matters." Greg started, shifting so that he was on one knee in the bed of the sleigh. "Sara Sidle, when we first met it was love at first sight and I want to spend every minute of my life with you. Will you marry me?" he asked, pulling the ring from his pocket and holding it up to her.

Tears sprung to Sara's eyes as she gazed at him. He had asked her to marry him. Greg Sanders, the love of her life had asked her to marry him. Why hadn't she said anything in response yet?

"YES!" she screamed, jumping on him. "Yes! Of course! Oh my God Greg!" she cried and laughed at the same time. Greg beamed, kissing her and slipping the ring into her hand.

"Read what it says," he whispered in her ear. Sara squinted in the dim light, trying to read the engraving.

_From first look, to last breath, I will always love you._

Sara couldn't even fathom words anymore. Instead she slipped the ring on her finger and kissed him again.

"I love you so much Greg," she murmured, resting her head against his shoulder again.

"I love you too, soon to be Mrs. Gregory Sanders," he laughed. Sara grinned.

"So, how long have you been planning this?"

"Since before we came out to New York. Mary and Kate were helping me via email." he explained.

"You do realize everyone is going to go crazy back at home," Sara commented with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, I'm counting on it. I think I'll bring a video camera the day we tell them."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ten o'clock that evening found Greg sitting on the couch with Sara. He was smirking at her random giggle fits and constant gazing at her engagement ring. The rubies and diamonds glittered in the firelight as the two waited for the rest of the family to get home.

"Is it weird that I want to call Catherine and tell her about this?" Sara asked suddenly, sitting up and looking at Greg with a serious expression. Greg smiled at her, cupping her cheek with one hand affectionately.

"It's not weird at all Sar, Cath is our friend and you have every right to want to tell someone about us." He rationalized. "You can go call her if you want to," he said, pulling her close and nuzzling his nose in her hair.

"You don't think Mary will mind?"

"Are you kidding? Mary's going to be so ecstatic you could total her car and she would just laugh and dance around." Greg replied. Sara smiled again, jumping off the couch and scrambling to find the cordless phone that was in the office. Seconds later she came bounding back in, jumping back onto the couch and frantically dialling Catherine's number.

"Hey Cath, its Sara! Merry Christmas! Yeah, I'm having a great time. But um, no, actually, I'm in New York. Yes, I am with Greg. Um, Cath, I have something to tell you, but you can't tell the others. No, I did not get arrested." Sara glanced at Greg, biting her bottom lip, trying to keep herself from screaming with excitement. "I'm engaged!" she finally exclaimed.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Catherine ran into the kitchen, pulling the phone from its cradle and switching it on.

"Hello?" she asked.

"_Hey Cath, its Sara!"_ an overly bubbly voice said from the other end of the line. _"Merry Christmas!"_

Sara…as in Sara Sidle? No. Sara never sounded _that_ happy. Catherine raised an eyebrow in confusion. Something was up.

"Merry Christmas to you too. Are you having a good time in…uh…San Francisco?"

"_Yeah, I'm having a great time. But um, actually, I'm in New York."_ Sara replied, her voice bubbling with excitement. Catherine was perplexed. New York? Wasn't that where Greg was going?

"Are you with him right now?" the blonde queried.

"_Yes, I am with Greg. Um, Cath, I have something to tell you, but you can't tell the others."_ Came the reply.

"Did you get arrested?" Catherine asked, her tone joking but her mind serious. For all she knew, Greg could have gotten himself and his mentor arrested for God knows what.

"_No, I did not get arrested._" Sara laughed. Catherine let out a sigh of relief, at least they weren't in legal trouble.

"Well, that's a relief because I was not going to fly up there on Christmas day to bail you two out of jail or anything because Lindsey and I-."

"_I'm engaged!" _Sara blurted. Catherine stopped her sentence. Shock setting in.

"Engaged? As in, going to get married?"

"_Yes!"_

"OH MY GOD! Who's the guy?"

"_Greg. He and I have been together since the last time we were out here in New York and, oh my God Cath, I'm so excited! But you can't tell the others! I want to see their faces when Greg and I tell them!" _Sara rambled. Catherine couldn't believe it.

"Okay, I won't say anything…wow. I'm really happy for you guys! You have to show me the ring the _minute_ you get back!" the blonde laughed, easily settling into the girlish discussion with her co-worker.

"_I will Cath, I promise. Anyways, I've gotta run, I think Mary is going to be back any minute. See you after New Years! Bye!"_ and with that the younger CSI hung up. Catherine just sat at her kitchen table dumbfounded for a moment. Sara was getting married. Workaholic, Sara Sidle was engaged. To Greg. Greg Sanders, the ex-lab rat with the loud music, crazy band t-shirts and flamboyant hair. Things were certainly picking up on the interest scale.

Catherine was happy for the two though. She knew Greg had been in love with Sara for a while and she had had her suspicions about the two of them being together for the last while. But, up until that moment she hadn't had anything to prove her theory. Oh, was Gil ever going to be angry when he found out.

"Hey Cath, you ready to go?" Warrick asked, walking into the kitchen, Lindsey at his heels. Catherine beamed, getting up from her chair and going towards him.

"You bet, come on," she said.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Mary walked up to the house; carrying Michelle's sleeping form in her arms. Kevin, Cody, Clara, Mark, Alanna and Kali had gone through the garage but Mary had decided she didn't want to try and navigate the various sleds and skis with her daughter in her arms. She unlocked the front door, slipping in and toeing off her boots on the mat. The rest of her family, she assumed, had already headed upstairs seeing as it was nearly eleven.

As she moved through the house and towards the main stairs she stopped, seeing the fireplace burning in the living room. Mary frowned, moving through the doorway and towards the couch where she found Greg and Sara asleep. She grinned softly, adjusting Michelle in her arms so that her youngest child didn't slip from her grasp. She turned to leave and take Michelle upstairs when she noticed something flickering in the firelight. Glancing down she saw the engagement ring on Sara's finger.

It took all of her strength not to scream with excitement. Instead, Mary hurried out of the room and upstairs, placing Michelle down on the bed before scrambling to her own bedroom where she tackled Kevin to the bed.

"Whoa, Mare, what is it?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face.

"She said yes!" Mary hissed, her eyes dancing. Kevin smiled pulling her down and giving her a kiss.

"We're getting another sister-in-law" he whispered. Mary nodded happily.

"Guess I'm actually going to have something to put in the photo album!" his wife giggled.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

**_A/N: _**There we go. FINALLY. Ugh, I hate the fact that semester 2 has murdered my life and therefore I have no time to write anything. I literally wrote most of this during math class one day and probably failed part of my test because I stopped paying attention. Oh well, it was worth it. I think.

Anyways, let me know what you though, reviews will probably keep me from going insane with musical practice every day.

Reviews get serenades of music from Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA :D

**PS** - there's a link to a picture that goes with this chapter on my profile page


	11. Surprises and Returns

_**Author's Note**_: Please don't kill me; I want to go to university next year and become a social worker… sorry for lack of updates…

_**Disclaimer:**_ I only own the characters that you've never seen or heard of on CSI. The other ones are just being borrowed and will be returned to the creators unscathed.

XxXxXxXxX

Christmas morning was, as suspected, a chorus of complete chaos involving what seemed like a truckload of wrapping paper as well as squealing from the female populous. Kali found Sara's engagement ring to be fascinating, marvelling at the way it sparkled.

Michelle had screamed louder than anyone though, her excitement about getting a new aunt prevailing over the various Christmas presents that had her name written on them.

"How are you going to tell your coworkers?" Kevin asked, watching as Cody started playing with one of his various toys.

"I already told Catherine, she was really excited," Sara answered, smiling as Greg traced patterns on the back of her hand. "I don't know how we'll tell the others though; we might just let them figure it out on their own. Although, knowing Cath she's already told Warrick and he'll have told Nick and somehow Grissom will find out and then it will be circulating around the entire lab by the time we get home." Greg laughed at his fiancé's rambling. Fiancé. He loved the fact that he could call Sara that now. Kevin smiled at the couple, glancing over at his wife who was giving the kids some ginger-bread cookies.

"I've never seen a wedding before," Kali commented.

"You haven't seen much of anything yet Kal," Alanna replied, smirking at her younger sister playfully. Kali blushed.

"Alright you two, calm down," Mary snickered, walking over and shoving a cookie into her husband's open mouth; effectively stopping him from continuing the banter.

"Any ideas when you want the wedding to be?" she asked, the curious side getting the better of her very quickly.

"Haven't really discussed it yet," Greg answered, smiling at Sara again. Mary had never seen him this happy. He was literally beaming. And, for that matter alone, so was Sara. The two easily completed each other and it was evident that they were two halves of a whole.

"Mummy! Can we go to Uncle Greg and Aunt Sara's wedding?" Michelle inquired, tugging at her mother's skirt.

"Of course," Mary responded, watching her brother lean over and kiss Sara gently on the cheek. "But first you need to help me with Christmas dinner." With that the two left the room.

XxXxXxXxX

When Mary came back out the kitchen she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes focused on the elderly couple that Kevin was helping at the door.

"Kev?" she asked, unsure of what was going on.

"Hello Kooshka," the elderly woman smiled.

"Oh my God! Nana! Papa!" Mary screamed with excitement, running over and embracing her grandparents in turn. It had been years since she had seen them due to the fact they still lived in Norway.

"We've missed you Kooshka," Papa Olaf said, kissing her head gently. Mary beamed at them.

"Greg's getting married!" she blurted randomly. The older couple exchanged glances.

"Well now, it's about time he decided to settle down with a nice woman," Nana Olaf grinned. "Did he bring her with him?"

"Of course. GREG! SARA! COME HERE!" Mary bellowed. It was only a few moments before Greg came into the hall, Sara's hand clutched in his own as he dragged her out of the living room.

"Papa? Nana?" Greg asked.

"Gregory; you've grown so much!" Papa Olaf said. "Is this your fiancé?"

"Um, yeah, this is Sara. Sar, these are Nana and Papa Olaf," Greg said, pushing Sara forward slightly. Nana Olaf embraced the brunette with a smile.

"You've got a wonderful aura Sara. It's easy to see how well you and Greg fit together," she said. Sara blushed furiously.

"Thanks. It's really great to meet you both – Greg's told me so much about you," Sara responded. Mary watched the exchange before grabbing her husband's arm as he tried to escape up the stairs. She dragged him into the den, shutting the door lightly before turning her hazel eyes on him.

"You planned all this?" she asked, dumbstruck. Kevin nodded.

"I…I kinda knew something was going to go wrong with the baby so I wanted to try and give you something that would make you feel a little bit better. I know you've wanted to see your grandparents for ages so, I thought, what better way than to have them come over for Christmas?" he muttered. Mary smiled at him, tears slipping from her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered, hugging him tightly. "I love you."

"Love you too."

XxXxXxXxX

All too soon the week was over and Greg and Sara were being driven to the airport to head back to Las Vegas.

"Now you better call me the minute you two set a date so I can make sure I don't have any classes," Mary instructed, leaning over the back of her seat to look her brother directly in the eye. Greg nodded, smiling at her.

"You know we will," Sara replied, unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out of the car.

"And do call when you get home, would you? You know that mum will be calling me to make sure your plane didn't crash or anything," Mary muttered, knowing her parents were still too overprotective.

"Of course," Greg said. "Kevin – thanks for getting Nana and Papa over here; it really meant a lot to me to have Sara meet them before the wedding and everything."

"No problem. You two take care of yourselves, okay?" the older man said.

"We will," Greg and Sara chorused, grabbing their bags from the trunk.

"Love you!" Mary called, watching them head into the airport.

"You too!" Greg yelled back before he and Sara disappeared into the terminal.

"Damnit, now the house is going to seem quiet again," Mary frowned, slumping back in her seat. Kevin shook his head.

"Mare, your grandparents are still here for another week and we have three kids. How quiet can that possibly be?"

"Too quiet."

XxXxXxXxX

Greg and Sara squinted as they left the Las Vegas airport. They had forgotten how bright the Las Vegas sun was.

"It feels weird to be home," Sara said, tossing her bag into the back of the cab.

"I know. Don't worry, we'll get back into the swing of things in no time," her fiancé replied. "Can you take us to the crime lab please?" he added to the cabbie.

"So, how are we going to tell the others?" Sara whispered, resting her head against Greg's shoulder.

"Just come right out and say it?" he offered.

XxXxXxXxX

Catherine sat at her desk tapping her pen restlessly. She wanted to tell someone about Greg and Sara so badly that it hurt. The couple was supposed to be coming back to Vegas that day but she was impatient. Warrick had started to suspect something was wrong with her due to her far off looks and random silences.

"Catherine? CATHERINE!" Grissom snapped. Catherine's eyes jerked up to her boss' face.

"Er, sorry, what were you saying?" she asked sheepishly.

"I was asking if you had the files on the Baker case," he said, glaring at her from behind his glasses.

"Um, yeah, hang on," Catherine rambled, digging through her desk until she came across the file folder he was demanding. As she went to pass it to him she saw Greg and Sara walking through the hall. "GREG! SARA!" she screamed, jumping up from her chair and running for the hall – folder left forgotten on her desk. Sara swung around at the sound of her name. Her eyes widened as Catherine came barrelling out of the office, nearly knocking her over with enthusiasm.

"Hi Cath," Greg said, beaming uncontrollably.

"I've been waiting over a week! Let's see this ring of yours Sara!" Catherine squealed. Sara blushed, holding up her left hand. Catherine squeaked with happiness at the ring. "Oh my God, Greg, you have good taste!" she said. It was Greg's turn to blush then, his left hand seeking Sara's right one. Catherine nearly passed out at how cute they looked.

"Cath, what's going on? You look like you're about to explode," Nick said, walking out of trace and towards them. "Its good to have you guys back by the way," he added to Greg and Sara. Catherine slapped a hand over her mouth, trying not to say anything.

"We're getting married Nick," Sara said. Nick raised an eyebrow.

"You and Catherine?"

"No! Greg and I!" Sara corrected, laughing. Nick's jaw dropped.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Yep!" Sara and Greg confirmed at the same time. Sara held up her hand, showing him the ring.

"Damn. Warrick! You owe me some money! They're getting' hitched!" the Texan hollered. Warrick came stumbling out of trace followed by Hodges, both of them looking shocked.

"You're marrying GREG?" Hodges asked. Sara rolled her eyes.

"Yes." She smiled.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Warrick stammered, pulling out his wallet and handing Nick a fifty.

"You guys have got to stop betting on us," Greg joked.

"Well then, I suppose congratulations are in order," Grissom said, clearing his throat from behind the group. Sara watched him reproachfully. "It's nice to see the two of you can find happiness in the midst of all the horror we see every day. Best of luck to the both of you." He said, smiling softly before retreating back towards his office. The group exchanged glances. He'd taken it better than they thought he would.

"So," Catherine pushed. "When's the wedding?"

XxXxXxXxX

_**A/N:**_ Holy crap I actually wrote something. I finished my first set of gr. 12 exams this morning and thought "I NEED to update this crap" so, therefore, I did. Yay me. Again, many, MANY apologies for the incessant lack of updates and the horrid quality of this. Unfortunately due to Jorja Fox leaving CSI I seem to have lost my love of it. Don't worry, I'll finish everything up…eventually.

Reviews can get free fire-fuel. Also known as my law notes. Horrible, horrible things but very easy to burn. :) Thanks for reading.


	12. Completetion

_**Author's Note:**_ Don't ask why this has taken so long, please, because I honestly don't have an answer other that Jorja leaving made me mad, and then the whole thing started to urk me, and of course, university was kinda looming over me...anyways...this is the last chapter and I'm typing it frantically while babysitting and hoping to God the baby doesn't start bawling at any given moment so don't mind my high-speed typos.

_**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own any characters that you've actually seen on television.

XxXxXxXxX

"Mommy, don't I look like a princess?!" Michelle asked, bouncing around the back of the chapel, her flower girl dress swishing from side to side. Mary smiled at her, nodding.

"Yes darling, you look exactly like a princess," her mother replied.

"Mare, you should go see Greg, he's starting to get all panicky," Kevin said, popping his head into the room. Mary rolled her eyes, walking past her husband.

"Watch the princess, I think she might try and take over the world," she said, a cocky smirk playing against her lips. Kevin shook his head before turning his gaze to Michelle who was playing with the rose pedals in her basket. Mary walked into the back room of the chapel, her eyes settling on her baby brother who was fiddling with his bowtie. "Do you want some help with that?" she offered. Greg's hazel eyes snapped onto his sister's figure, a smile spreading across his face.

"Yeah, if you don't mind," he replied, moving towards his sister.

"You ready for this?" Mary inquired, tying the piece of fabric with ease. She leaned back, inspecting her work. She couldn't believe Greg was getting married. Not that she was upset about it. On the contrary, she was thrilled. Mary felt as if Greg had finally found that woman who was to complete him and would be with him for the rest of his days. She wanted to cry just looking at the happiness that radiated from him.

"I've been ready for this since the day I met Sara...I'm just nervous about screwing up my vows or something equally as stupid," Greg responded, his usual joking nature still in his voice. "What about you? Think you can sit through a wedding without having to pee?"

"You're my little brother Greg, I can still hit you," Mary snapped playfully, shaking her head at his random comments. "But yes, assuming the little one doesn't decide to play kick the bladder, I'll be fine." The blonde woman placed a hand on her expanded stomach, feeling the child that was growing within her kick against her palm beneath the pale blue fabric of her dress.

"I still can't believe you and Kevin got pregnant so soon," Greg said, smiling, his eyes going soft at the whole situation.

"Greg, we've got three kids already, I'm pretty sure that proves we're both very...fertile people," she laughed, sitting down.

"Yeah but after the miscarriage I thought you'd wait at least three months, and yet there you were in February, calling me to say you were pregnant again..." Greg shook his head.

"We wanted another baby so we started trying again right away, good thing too, this way I was able to get out of that horrible dance conference out in DC," Mary made a face in disgust. "Are you and Sara planning on having any kids?"

Greg blushed furiously, looking down at his hands and playing with the buttons on his sleeve.

"Greg? Earth to Gregory Sanders, come in Mister Sanders!" Mary called, waving her hand under his face before brushing his bangs away from his eyes. Greg glanced up at her, a small smile forming on his face. Mary just gaped at him. "And here you are telling me I got pregnant fast. Ohh, Abby is going to have a heyday when I tell her that-"

"Tell me what?" Abby asked, wandering into the room with her daughter Sophie balanced in her arms.

"MARE!" Greg scrambled, not sure he wanted both his sisters giggling through the entire wedding. "You cannot tell anyone other than Abby and Kevin! Okay?" he said, sighing. Mary beamed at him.

"Greg and Sara are having a baby!"

XxXxXxXxX

"Oh Sara, you look beautiful," Catherine breathed, walking into the dressing room of the church. Sara glanced back at Catherine and smiled.

"Thanks," she grinned. "I still can't believe I'm here." Sara looked down at herself, seeing herself clad in an extravagant wedding dress that Mary, Abby and Jenny had bought for her. She never realized how fun it was to have three females that she could call her sisters.

"Well I can. Lord Sara, Greg fell in love with you the minute you walked into the lab!" the older woman laughed, tossing her strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulder. Sara blushed. She still wasn't completely used to people realizing she was in love with Greg, but she was nowhere near ashamed of it. The engagement ring on her finger told anyone that, not to mention the fact she was standing in a dressing room of a chapel about to walk down the aisle and take her vows.

"How are things with Warrick?" Sara questioned. Catherine smiled. She and Warrick had started dating not too soon after Sara and Greg had announced their engagement.

"Really good," Catherine answered, adjusting one of the straps on her bridesmaid dress. Sara grinned.

"So...we going to be seeing a wedding with you two soon?" the brunette queried. Catherine smiled.

"Maybe..."

"Well, just make sure it's either within the next two months or in about a year, because I, unlike my soon to be sister in law, do not feel comfortable being a pregnant bridesmaid." Catherine's eyes went wide.

"Oh my God, you're having a baby?!" Catherine squeaked, excitement covering her entire face. Sara laughed and nodded, trying to keep her balance as the older woman attacked her with a hug. Mary, who had just walked into the room, smiled manically, her eyes sparkling.

"Congratulations," she said once Catherine had her emotions under control.

"Thanks...Sis," Sara replied, loving the ability to call Mary her sister. Mary grinned.

Catherine was beaming as she gently placed a hand on Sara's still flat stomach only to have it slapped away with a laugh from the brunette.

"Have you seen Clara? She gave me her necklace and then disappeared," Helen, Sara's soon-to-be mother in law asked, coming into the room. She smiled approvingly at the brunette. "You look gorgeous Sara. I'm so happy that you and Gregory are going to be married," she added. Sara blushed, giving the woman a hug.

"Thank you Mrs. Sanders," she said. Helen chuckled.

"You can call me mom dear," the older female replied, taking Mary by the arm and dragging her out of the room in search of Clara.

"You're really lucky that you're not only gaining a great husband but also a family like that. It's almost like a fairy tale," Catherine whispered. Sara smiled softly, resting a hand on her still flat stomach.

"I know," was all she said.

XxXxXxXxX

Sara doubted that she would be able to recall ever aspect of the wedding, her mind whirling as she and Greg danced. She remembered saying her vows and kissing her husband. She remembered her new nieces and nephews squealing with excitement. She remembered Mary reaching back and grabbing her mother's hand as the two of them cried. But everything in between was a blur of happiness and excitement.

"What are you thinking about?" Greg whispered, his cheek pressed against hers.

"That I can't believe all this is real. I never thought I would get married Greg... I'm just so ecstatic right now," Sara giggled, nuzzling her nose against his neck. Greg sighed in contentment.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Sara replied. "What should we call the baby?" she asked out of the blue. Greg burst into gales of laughter, his head thrown back and eyes shining.

"Whatever you want Love, whatever you want."

XxXxXxXxX

Seven months later found Greg and Sara Sanders sitting in a hospital room, their new born daughter cradled in the crook of Sara's arm. Greg swept a finger over the tiny child's cark hair, his eyes softer than Sara had ever seen them.

"I would have never guessed we'd be here if you had asked me where I saw myself two years ago," Greg whispered to his wife, kissing her temple. Sara grinned tiredly.

"You're not the only one," she confessed, yawning slightly. Greg just beamed. "You should call your parents and tell them they have a new granddaughter," she said after a moment's pause. Greg rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, I'd rather call one of my sisters. They'll have the news spread across the country faster than you can say Las Vegas," he smirked. Sara rolled her eyes.

"Well don't call Mary, the poor woman has probably just gotten Derek to sleep. I have a feeling I'm going to understand her irritability at random phone calls very soon," Sara said.

"She'll be alright with this phone call, trust me. Alright now little miss, you be good for your Momma while I go call your Aunt Mary," Greg whispered, kissing his tiny daughter on the forehead before slipping from the room. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket the minute he was in the hall, clicking the speed dial for Mary and Kevin and pressing the receiver to his ear.

"_This better be good_," a tired female voice that Greg instantly recognized as his sister barked into the phone.

"You have a niece. Melaina Rayne, 6 pounds, three ounces, twenty inches long. Both she and her Momma are doing fine," Greg said into the phone only to hear his sister scream in response.

"_Oh Gregory, congratulations! You have to send Kev and I pictures as soon as you get the chance! I'll be sure to call mom and dad and let them know. Oh wow. You really have grown up, haven't you little one?"_

"Yeah Mare, I really have," Greg said, leaning against the wall, a smile blooming across his face. "And I sure as hell have a completely new outlook on life."

_**Fini**_

XxXxXxXxX

_**A/N:**_ And there you have it! It is FINISHED! (Applauds self for actually doing this even though she didn't really want to) Sorry if its complete crap or if it moved to fast but the honest fact of the matter is, I barely watch the show anymore and therefore don't really feel like I have the muse I used to.

THANK YOU ALL so much for reading this and sticking with it even though I totally sucked at finishing things this last year. Again, thank you so much for reading, your reviews and everything mean so much to me and I am completely grateful for you taking the time to send me them. Again, really sorry if the finish sucked....I tried....

~Jules


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